Hiking and camping in the winter are much different than in other seasons. During spring and fall, it is sometimes possible to go out with the attitude of "it'll be fine" without much preparation, but in the winter in areas where it is cold or snowy, you have to take more precautions!
Depending on the difficulty of your hike or the location you'll be camping in, you'll need to make some serious adjustments, but these are 6 things you absolutely should try to do no matter what the situation is!
1. Wear the proper clothing.
It gets really cold, and if you're going to preparing a campsite or moving a lot, you have to be wearing the right kind of clothes that will keep you both dry and warm so you won't fall into dangerous conditions because of sweat, not warm enough clothing, etc.
Here is a card about dressing in winter: (http://www.vingle.net/posts/535275)
Here is a card about choosing the right base layer:
http://www.vingle.net/posts/665482
Here is a card about keeping your feet dry:
http://www.vingle.net/posts/631820
2. Take care of your hands!
Your hands are a really important part of you, obviously! You'll be using them a lot, so take care to make sure you insulate them properly too. Try wearing latex gloves under your mittens as an inner layer of insulation!
3. Start a fire
While it can be hard in the cold, you'll want to start a fire as soon as you begin setting up camp so that it can warm up for both warmth and cooking. If you plan to not be using fires, make sure to bring the appropriate gear for not having that heat source! Here's some tips for starting fires in the winter (http://www.vingle.net/posts/653920)
4. If you're camping, pick a good spot.
There are some places that are great spots to camp in during the summer or fall, that completely fail as great spots in the winter. Make sure to research the climate of the area you want to camp in, and be prepared for the differences in that warm, sunny campsite you remember. Also, check where the sun will hit, where the winds blow, etc. when setting up your camp ground.
5. Watch your calories!
Winter hiking burns so many more calories than you think! Seriously! See more about why here -> http://www.vingle.net/posts/612951
Now, these are just the VERY basics! I'll be trying to upload more detailed tutorials on how to camp and hike in the winter comfortably. If you have any, you should upload them, too! Looking at you @treedweller@yakwithalan